Mural by Jan Is de Man, Fresco in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
The Fresque de Jan Is de Man is a large outdoor mural painted directly on a building wall in Boulogne-sur-Mer, northern France. It covers the full surface of the wall and depicts a trompe-l'oeil library filled with rows of colorful books.
The mural was created in August 2019 during the fourth edition of Boulogne-sur-Mer's urban art festival. The festival regularly brings in artists from abroad to paint building facades across the city.
The mural shows a wall of bookshelves filled with titles by authors like Victor Hugo, Balzac, and Simone de Beauvoir. Anyone who looks closely can also spot books about fishing, a nod to the town's long connection to the sea.
The mural is freely visible from the street at any time of day and requires no ticket. Standing a few steps back gives the best view of the trompe-l'oeil effect across the full wall.
The artist's real name is Jan Heinsbroek, a Dutch painter whose tag Jan Is de Man is a play on words meaning roughly Jan is the man in Dutch. He is known for switching between styles, moving from trompe-l'oeil to portraiture depending on the project.
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